Michael Keegan

clock • 2 min read

Head of EMEIA product business and chairman, UK & Ireland, Fujitsu

Which tech figurehead do you admire the most?

Meg Whitman. Meg has had an amazing career, not least recently at eBay and then HP where she has brought about transformational change.

What's the biggest challenge facing the industry no-one is talking about yet?

Legacy. There is a lot of focus on digitalisation, but there is still a large number of really old systems out there with a shrinking population of people who understand how to keep them going.

If you could invite three famous people to dinner, who would they be?

Ada Lovelace - being the first computer programmer and first female in the burgeoning IT industry, in a world dominated by men, must have been a real challenge; General George S Patton - I have a passion for understanding the lessons from the war to ensure we do not repeat the same mistakes; John Lydon - otherwise known as Jonny Rotten from the Sex Pistols. The punk era changed the music scene forever and left an indelible mark on me.

How has 2017 been for you

A great year, when we have been starting to see the fruits of our labour over the past few years and have returned the Fujitsu product business in EMEIA to growth.

What's the most extravagant business lunch you've ever had?

In the days of high margins, our suppliers used to buy us lavish lunches at Michelin-starred restaurants. Now it is a sandwich at Costa, if at all!

Which global city best matches your personality?

Helsinki - dark most of the year and full of badly dressed people… if my management team is anything to go by!

What would be your super-hero power?

Seeing the future - it would make our forecast reviews a lot easier!

Complete this sentence. The worst thing about our rivals is... that customers buy from them.

What makes you nervous?

When my wife is in a bad mood - I know that somehow it will be my fault.

If you could eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Curry and red wine - it may not be a long life, but at least I would enjoy it.

Sum up the channel in three words

My best friends.

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